Noticias

When is a Hammer film not a Hammer film? When it’s made by Planet Film Distributors of course, purveyors of low budget fare who wanted in on that horror coin and so produced Devils of Darkness (1965), an entertaining homage to their bigger brethren. If you’re plum out of Hammer’s to watch, this will do quite nicely.

Released by Planet in its native U.K., Devils of Darkness found U.S. distribution from Twentieth Century Fox as the second half of a double bill with The Curse of the Fly, and made its rounds on the drive-in circuit. Critics liked the aesthetic much like they did Hammer’s, but mostly found the story flat and convoluted. But buried within its (I think) interesting mixology of sub-genres is the story of a vampire going through a midlife crisis that I wish was explored in more depth. Oh well; what...

Star of British film thrillers who specialised in the role of the classy girlfriend

In the 1950s, while watching a second feature before the "big picture" at their local cinema, regular British filmgoers would often have seen Rona Anderson, who has died aged 86. Anderson starred in 20 movies between 1950 and 1958, mostly well-crafted, low-budget thrillers. Opposite such luminaries as Robert Beatty, Jimmy Hanley, John Bentley, Paul Carpenter and Lee Patterson, Anderson was the classy girlfriend who helps the hero solve a murder, usually via a visit to the criminal underground, all within the hour allotted to the film.

According to the Scottish comedian Stanley Baxter, Anderson "had this incredible, porcelain-like face, too beautiful for film … The camera likes angularity, to see the edges, and I think Rona's face was just too perfect." Whatever the reason, Anderson made few major movies, though she appeared in many popular television series, such as The Human Jungle...

Reel-Important People is a monthly column that highlights those individuals in or related to the movies who have left us in recent weeks. Below you'll find names big and small and from all areas of the industry, though each was significant to the movies in his or her own way. Rona Anderson (1926-2013) - Scottish actress who appears in the 1951 film of A Christmas Carol as well as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Devils of Darkness. She died on July 23. (Telegraph) Paul Bhattacharjee (1960-2013) - British Indian actor who appears in Casino Royale (he's the guy who says "Do It Now" in the poisoning scene below), Dirty Pretty Things and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He was found dead on July 12 after going missing two days prior...

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